Hundreds of Nigerian women, among more than a thousand denied entry to Saudi Arabia, flew back from Jeddah late Thursday after Nigeria suspended pilgrimage flights to the kingdom.

The angry would-be pilgrims, who were turned back because they were travelling without male chaperones, denounced their treatment at the hands of the Saudi authorities, with one traveller saying they had been treated criminals.

More Related to this Story

Millions of Muslims continued their annual hajj pilgrimage on Monday in the holy city of Mecca. To complete their rituals, pilgrims must throw 21 pebbles at each of three 82-foot pillars that represent Satan in a symbolic rejection of temptation
AP